CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS – The Texas State Aquarium is pleased to announce that the 2014 application period for its Wildlife Care, Conservation, and Research Fund (WCCR) begins today. This annual grant program funds research and conservation projects linked to the species and ecosystems interpreted at the Aquarium. The Texas State Aquarium will be awarding $50,000 to worthy projects this year through the WCCR. Recipients will be chosen by a panel led by Dr. Wes Tunnell of the Harte Research Institute and Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. The panel will include representatives from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Texas Parks and Wildlife, the Nature Conservancy, and the Texas State Aquarium.

Aquarium President & CEO Tom Schmid commented, “Last year, we awarded $90,000 to researchers working to help marine turtles, sharks, whooping cranes and other species. We are proud to support research and conservation programs that positively impact the species and habitats found throughout South Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. As a conservation organization, we strongly believe that it is our responsibility to play an active role in wildlife conservation in our region, and as a not-for-profit entity, we are acutely aware of how important grant funding is to these projects.”

The Texas State Aquarium is now accepting applications for grants, with a deadline of August 12, 2014. Grant applications and more information about this program can be found at www.texasstateaquarium.org/wccr.

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Texas State Aquarium: Connecting people with nature and inspiring conservation of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Aquarium is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums